OPINION
Remember when U.S. Rep. August Pfluger condemned the $77 million welfare fraud in Mississippi back in 2022, starring an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, among others?
If you don’t remember, that’s because he didn’t breathe a word about it at the time and still hasn’t.
He sure made a big show of the rapper that was charged with SNAP fraud recently, though.
Pfluger had a strongly worded social-media post about the case on Thursday, as the first week of early voting offers a glimpse of what appears to indicate a record turnout.
“This is unbelievable. A rapper was caught being tied to SNAP fraud in the latest investigation by the White House Task Force on Fraud.
“SNAP is meant to serve needy Americans who need to put food on the table. The gravy train is officially over for fraudsters,.” Pfluger wrote.
Welfare Fraud is Deplorably Criminal
Anyone who steals from the poor is a godless turd; I think everyone would agree with that.
What’s unbelievable it that it actually took so long to ferret out these alleged bad actors.
According to the New York Post story on this subject, the rapper known as “Shawty Dred” managed to orchestrate a $4.6 million SNAP fraud scheme taking advantage of more than 350 stolen identities, which prosecutors allege he used to fund a lavish lifestyle.
So, how in the world is that even possible?
While I have no doubt some would like to point the bony finger of accusation at Joe Biden, experts on the subject suggest it probably has a lot more to do with the fact that Republicans have cut so many positions and resources from all of these agencies at every level that most of the state offices overseeing these programs are completely overwhelmed.
But why is this rapper’s alleged fraud worse than Brett Farve’s?
Stealing From the Poorest People in America
In a story originally reported in August of 2022 by The Mississippi Free Press, Brett Farve was one of the original 38 defendants named in a civil lawsuit filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) working to recover Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds diverted to several rich and powerful people.
Every last one of them Republicans.
Nationally, the Republican Party was silent about this group of folks stealing money from the poorest people in the most impoverished state in the nation.
Critics point out the fact that this story was not widely reported by right-wing media outlets means most folks in Texas, for instance, never heard a word about it.
They definitely didn’t hear about it from their Republican elected officials, or the legacy media.
The Free Press reported a state audit found that at least $77 million in welfare funds had been misspent, including $5 million in TANF funds that was directed through the state welfare agency and a nonprofit to the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation disguised as a lease. The funds were to be used for a new volleyball facility where Farve’s daughter plays on the team.
Farve also received $1.1 million directly from state welfare funds for promotional speeches he never delivered.
According to the Free Press’ report:
“On July 24, 2017, a meeting was held at USM. In attendance were Favre, (then-Mississippi Department of Human Services Director) John Davis, Teddy DiBiase, Nancy New, USM Athletic Staff and other MDHS and MCEC officials,” MCEC’s filing continues, pointing to Exhibit 2, a photo of the group at The Rock, USM’s football stadium.
“Supposedly, this was the first time Favre asked MDHS for funding for his Volleyball Facility. Yet, MDHS, on the spot, committed $4 million in TANF funds for construction of the Volleyball Facility.”
According to a 2023 report from ESPN.com, Farve eventually paid $1.1 million back, but the auditor demanded he also repay $228,000 in interest and that case is still pending.
Current court filings and counterclaims pushing the disputed interest/amounts higher, suggest the state is seeking more than $828,000 with calculated interest and legal fees.
It was also reported that Prevacus, a company developing a concussion drug in which Favre was the top outside investor and stockholder, for some reason also received TANF funds.
Farve was never arrested or charged.
According to a report from CNBC.com, Favre earned $141.8 million in total on-field salary and bonuses over his 20-year NFL career, in addition to an estimated tens-of-millions of dollars from product endorsements.
Create an Economy That Makes Sense
In an America that reveres riches above all else, you’re not going to get rid of anything where someone can make a boatload of money by risking their reputation, freedom or their lives, because people are desperate to make a bundle of money in any way they possibly can.
Getting a regular job certainly doesn’t seem like any recipe for success these days, though.
That probably has a lot to do with why the young people don’t seem to take their schooling as seriously as they once did.
They see their parents, maybe working a job or two each, and not quite making enough money to afford the things everyone in America expects to have, so now we have a nation of folks who are up to their eyeballs in debt tying to give their kids a good life, and incredibly stressed about the frightening rise of prices that keep putting them a little further away from making ends meet.
Maybe fix that and make it so not as many people need public assistance to survive in the first place.
Just an idea.
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